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When to quote and when to paraphrase

So you want to use what someone else has said in your paper. You need to show it’s not your idea. Consider this example: has the newspaper reporter effectively paraphrased the original quote?

Original quote from James Kaufman’s “The Cost of the Muse: Poets Die Young” (Death Studies, 27: 813-821, 2003)

Poetry may appeal to people who are more likely to be self-destructive. Poetry tends to be more introspective, expressive and emotional than fiction and non-fiction (e.g., Gardner, 1993; Whalen, 2000). Being in a subjective and emotive field is also associated with mental instability (Ludwig,1998).

Quoted in a New York Times article by Felicia Lee “Going Early into that Good Night” (April 24, 2004)

Mr. Kaufman argues that the earlier death rate among poets is probably due to the very nature of the poetic endeavor. Researchers have found that being in a subjective, emotive field is associated with mental instability, he writes. Compared with fiction and nonfiction, poetry is often more introspective and expressive. This has led him to conclude that poets’ higher death rates are probably related to their higher rates of mental illness.

Is this plagiarism? Let’s look closer:

Kaufman:

Poetry may appeal to people who are more likely to be self-destructive. Poetry tends to be more introspective, expressive and emotional than fiction and non-fiction (e.g., Gardner, 1993; Whalen, 2000). Being in a subjective and emotive field is also associated with mental instability (Ludwig,1998).

Lee:

Mr. Kaufman argues that the earlier death rate among poets is probably due to the very nature of the poetic endeavor. Researchers have found that being in a subjective, emotive field is associated with mental instability, he writes. Compared with fiction and nonfiction, poetry is often more introspective and expressive.

Technically, yes, this is plagiarism. But though teachers may say otherwise, plagiarism has a lot of gray area.

Phrases like “subjective, emotive field” or “associated with mental instability” are arguably part of technical language used in academia, and therefore don’t need to be quoted or changed into synonyms (in fact, replacing one of these discipline-specific words might risk changing the meaning).

You can also use words from original quotes if they are generally accepted terms (you don’t, for instance, have to synonomize ‘persons with disabilities’).

And Felicia Lee clearly states her source (“Mr. Kaufman argues…..he writes”).

But it is plagiarism because the sentence structure is so similiar to the original quote that it doesn’t qualify as a reasonable paraphrase.

Plagiarism aside, if you were using Kaufman’s quote, would it be better to paraphrase or quote?

Ask yourself these questions:

You’ve got options, as in this example:

Dropped Quotation

We might ask, for instance, why poets tend to die younger than other artists. “Poetry tends to be more introspective, expressive, and emotional than fiction and non-fiction. Being in a subjective and emotive field is also associated with mental instability” (Kaufman 819). [41 words]

Quotation with Signal Phrase

We might ask, for instance, why poets tend to die younger than other artists. Sociologist James C. Kaufman believes it is because “poetry tends to be more introspective, expressive, and emotional than fiction and non-fiction.” He adds that “being in a subjective and emotive field is also associated with mental instability” (819). [52 words]

Paraphrase with Signal Phrase

We might ask, for instance, why poets tend to die younger than other artists. Sociologist James C. Kaufman believes it is because poets, more than prose writers, are emotional and introspective, and that this is often related to mental instability (819). [40 words]

Dropped Paraphrase

We might ask, for instance, why poets tend to die younger than other artists. Perhaps poets, more than prose writers, are emotional and introspective, and that this is often related to mental instability (Kaufman 819). [33 words]

In this example, you’d want to choose a different option:

Dropped Quotation

In 2000, the legislature of Suffolk County passed a law restricting drivers’ use of handheld phones. “The bill prohibits the use of a cell phone while driving unless it is equipped with an earpiece or can act like a speakerphone, leaving the driver’s hands free” (Kelley 1). [29 words]

Quotation with Signal Phrase

In 2000, the legislature of Suffolk County passed a law restricting drivers’ use of handheld phones. According to journalist Tina Kelley, “The bill prohibits the use of a cell phone while driving unless it is equipped with an earpiece or can act like a speakerphone, leaving the driver’s hands free” (1). [34 words]

Paraphrase with Signal Phrase

In 2000, the legislature of Suffolk County passed a law restricting drivers’ use of handheld phones. The bill, according to journalist Tina Kelley, bans using cell phones without a hands-free device like an earpiece or speakerphone (1). [20 words]

Dropped Paraphrase

In 2000, the Suffolk County legislature passed a law restricting drivers’ use of handheld phones. The bill bans using cell phones without a hands-free device like an earpiece or speakerphone (Kelley 1). [15 words]